


Grading on a Curve

by SweetestHoney



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: "oh professor I got a D please let there be something I can do to fix my grade", Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, M/M, Professor!Bucky, Teacher-Student Relationship, but like not dubcon, good lord they're both dorks, gratuitous talk about plagarism, sorrynotsorry, student!peter, winterspider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:20:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24644722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetestHoney/pseuds/SweetestHoney
Summary: Peter Parker, college student. James Barnes, his professor. Do I really need to say much more than that?AKA - "Oh professor can I please raise my grade" except much more consensual and also they're both dorks.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Peter Parker
Comments: 5
Kudos: 179





	Grading on a Curve

When Peter got his paper back, he almost didn’t look at it. The paper was doled out at the worst possible time, with Professor Barnes springing it on them at the same time that two of his other classes had midterms and a third assigned a draft of the essay that would count for a third of their grade. Barnes gave them the assignment, a small paper due in a week, and Peter almost went to his advisor to see if he could still drop the class and not have a mark on his record. 

But, of course, he knew he was better than that, and it wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy the class itself. Plus, he was past the drop deadline. Barnes was a good professor, Peter would give him that, and he made the subject interesting, which he couldn’t say for all or even most of the professors he’d had since he started college. Not to mention, he was one of the hottest men Peter had ever laid eyes on, with broad shoulders and a scruffy five-o-clock shadow that gave him the perfect air of slightly rumpled. Add to that his sassy way of dealing with students that wanted to disrupt class, and well, Peter knew he was doomed to have a crush on the man from his very first class. 

Despite his worries about being able to focus on the material, though, the man knew his stuff, and he’d both kept Peter engaged with the texts they read and also broadened his knowledge of even books he’d already read for other classes and discussed at length. There was something about the way he posited questions to the group that made Peter think about the classics differently, like they were more alive. 

And Peter had thought they’d had a good rapport, since Peter was one of the students that talked in class (not overly so – at least, he hoped not, anyway) and they’d had at least a few class periods that consisted of nothing  _ but _ them sparring back and forth, especially when they disagreed about the meaning of a particular character’s story. 

Which is why Peter was confident that even though he’d mostly bullshitted his way through the paper, his grade would be alright and he could bring it up on the final. What he absolutely  _ hadn’t _ expected was the large scrawled ‘D – talk to me during office hours’ across the top of his paper when Barnes handed them back, and he looked up to find the man looking back at him, brow furrowed. 

After class, and what was a much more stilted discussion, since Peter was too busy brooding on his grade to really take part, he stomped up to the front of the classroom as Professor Barnes was gathering up his things. Barnes saw him coming, and zipped his bag up as Peter reached the desk, meeting his glare with a level look. 

Peter held up the paper, pointing to the grade on the top with a frown. “Professor, can I ask about my grade on the paper?” He didn’t give the man a chance to answer in the affirmative before continuing. “It’s bullshit, come on, I know it wasn’t a D paper. Why did you give me such a bad grade?” 

Barnes hummed at him, eyes darting from Peter’s face and somewhere behind him. Peter turned to look and found a couple of the girls from his class awkwardly standing behind him, clearly also waiting to talk to the professor about something. He sighed and turned around again, meeting the man’s eyes. 

When Barnes spoke, his voice was calm despite the topic at hand. “I know you can do better than that, Peter, and I found some number of issues in your argument. If you want more specifics, we can talk about it during my office hours tomorrow.” 

Peter gave him a tight nod before clutching the paper tighter and storming out of the room, confident that anything else he said would probably be less than cordial. Since he wanted to actually get an answer on why he’d received such a low grade, he held his tongue in hopes that not screaming at the professor would count as a point in his favor. 

Professor Barnes’ office hours were the next day, and while Peter hadn’t really had to go in the past in regards to the class material, he’d ended up there once or twice, continuing the discussions they’d had in class and going into more depth, enjoying sparring verbally with the man. He knew the time and the location of the man’s office as a result, and, walking over to the building where Barnes’ office was, he felt his temper rising again as he thought about how annoyed he was at the grade. 

By the time he got to Barnes’ office, Peter was fuming. He was still a little early, though, and when he knocked on the man’s door, he got no response. Rolling his eyes, he took the chair that sat in the hallway for students to wait on and pulled out his paper, intent on rereading it to ensure he knew the points he’d be arguing. 

It took ten or fifteen minutes for Barnes to show, and by the time he got there, Peter had luckily cooled off a fair bit. Rereading the paper had also served to remind him that he  _ had _ bullshitted it rather a lot, and it didn’t make nearly as much sense as he remembered it making when he’d handed it in. 

The sound of footsteps in the long hallway had Peter looking up, and his eyes found Professor Barnes immediately, zeroing in on the man’s jawline first – Peter had a weakness for strong jawlines, and boy, did Barnes have that in spades. When his eyes finally reached the other man’s, he noted that Barnes was smirking slightly, like he knew what Peter was thinking about. Peter flushed slightly and stood, hoping to distract from his attraction to his professor. 

“Ah, Peter. I thought I might be seeing you today.” Barnes’ tone was casual and he gave Peter a nod before stepping past him to unlock his office. Peter gripped the paper more tightly to his chest and followed as the man unlocked and opened the door, gesturing Peter in before himself. Once Peter had dropped his bag on the ground, Barnes gave him a smile and settled into the chair behind the desk, folding his hands neatly. 

“Now, Peter, I understand you had some objections to the grade you received?” The man even had the gall to cock his head at Peter, looking  _ concerned _ , and Peter felt his anger rising right back up into his throat. He took a breath before speaking, not wanting to come off as just another pissy student upset that they’d been given a bad grade. 

“Professor, I do not think I should have received a D on the paper, and I would like a chance to rewrite it – if you’re going to argue that this is D material.” He slapped the paper down onto the desk between them, holding Barnes’ eyes. “I know that you gave me a bad grade to, I dunno, make a point or something, but just – this is going to screw up my GPA, professor, come on. You sprung it on us with no warning!” 

Peter bit his lip, trying to control himself and hoping he didn’t sound too worked up. Barnes tended towards the merciful side, at least where students he liked were concerned, and Peter hoped he’d get a chance to redo the paper. 

Barnes didn’t speak for a moment, instead looking from Peter and down to the paper on the desk and then back up to Peter once more. “Peter, do you know why you got a D on the paper? Specifically, I mean.” 

Peter frowned, not sure what he was getting at. “No; I mean, I understand that you think I wrote a paper that only deserved sixty percent credit or whatever, but I don’t think I know what you’re getting at.” 

His professor nodded, and tugged the paper out from under his hand, holding it up. “You got a D because I know you can do better than this, and I don’t understand why you didn’t. The argument was weak and the examples nonexistent, and you barely referenced the third part of the prompt.” Peter sighed, scrubbing his hands through his hair. He’d known it wasn’t a great paper, but he hadn’t thought it was  _ that  _ bad. Barnes continued. “And, all things considered, had any other student turned in this paper, they would probably have gotten a B minus.” 

Peter’s head whipped up and he met the man’s eyes fiercely. “What?” 

Barnes nodded, and flipped a couple pages before pointing to something, one of the broader statements Peter made in the paper. “I  _ know _ you, Peter, and I know you’re smarter than this. If you’d just taken this idea and expanded on it instead of saying the same thing over and over again for the last two pages, you would have gotten an A.” Peter just blinked at him. “But you didn’t, and instead I had to read a very mediocre paper by someone who is smarter than that, and I was very disappointed.” 

Peter hadn’t been expecting the man to outright admit that, and he felt his mouth drop open in surprise. “That’s – but you, you just admitted it! If anyone else had given you that paper it would have been a B!” 

Barnes gave him a wry smile. “B minus.” 

Peter waved off the distinction, shaking his head. “Not the point. Look, professor, you said it yourself. It’s worth a B, B minus, whatever. Can’t you just give me that? If you’re going to single me out because you  _ think _ I can do better, that’s not fair.” Peter knew he was pouting and he didn’t try to stop, instead running his hands through his hair once more. “I should get the same grading as everyone else.” 

Barnes shook his head. “No, Peter, because I  _ know _ you can do better. I assigned the paper specifically because I wanted to see your take on the question, and you gave me this–” he held up the paper with one hand, shaking it slightly for emphasis, “crap. If you continue to give me substandard work when I see that what you have to say in class doesn’t reflect that, I’m going to be forced to assume that you’re plagiarizing or having someone else write your essays and report you to the Dean.” 

Peter felt his breathing quicken, and something clenched in his chest. Plagiarism was one of the few things that the school actually cared about, and if Professor Barnes reported him for trying to pass off someone else’s work as his own, then he would be in serious trouble. If they really wanted to investigate, they would find that he hadn’t plagiarized or stolen anyone else’s work, but usually the school cared more for looks than actual work (as Peter had been disappointed to find out) and they often expelled students just for being suspected of cheating. 

If Barnes really wanted to drive his point home, he could ruin Peter’s life with one sentence, and he knew it. 

Peter gaped at him for a moment, unable to summon the words. He snapped his mouth shut and closed his eyes, trying for patience and not finding much left. When he opened them, Barnes was still wearing that small smirk, and it made Peter’s blood boil. 

“You can’t do that! If you do that, it’ll be – it would ruin my life!” Barnes rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to rebut Peter’s claim, but Peter steamrolled over whatever he was going to say, too incensed to care about niceties. “No, you don’t get to say that I’m being dramatic, okay? If you do that, if you tell the dean that you think I cheated, do you know what happens?” 

Peter paused, and Barnes gestured for him to continue instead of answering. He rolled his eyes, but did so. “Well, if you tell the dean that, then in the very best case scenario, I lose my scholarship while they’re ‘looking into it’,” Peter made air quotes while he spoke, “and then while they’re doing that, I can’t afford to pay for my classes, and I’m forced to drop out, regardless of the fact that they’d find that I didn’t plagiarized, because you know  _ damn well _ that I didn’t.” 

Barnes gawked, mostly with shock, but with some shame as well. Peter felt a twinge of vindication at the man’s shame, but he was already on a roll now and couldn’t just stop there. 

“Plus, of course, that’s assuming they actually did an investigation. A lot of the time they won’t, they’ll just expel whoever it is and be done with it. Just based solely on the word of the professor reporting it.” Peter paused, looking at the man critically. “When was the last time you actually reported someone for plagiarism or cheating?” 

Barnes shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “I haven’t, actually, not since I started here. Didn’t see a reason when I could usually bully the kids into doing their own work with the threat of it.” Peter breathed out, glad that the man hadn’t actually done it to anyone else. 

“Yeah, well if you did, you probably would have witnessed a shitstorm.” Peter knew he was worked up now, and he almost felt bad except for the part where he needed to make sure that Barnes knew exactly what he was doing. “The school administration doesn’t give a shit about the kids that go here, and they’d be happier to kick out anyone accused of plagiarizing than actually take the time to investigate it, because that costs money and there’s always another kid on the waitlist that’s willing to pay.” 

Barnes gaped at him now, and Peter paused again, taking a breath and gauging the man’s expression. He looked surprised, but also thoughtful, and Peter hoped that meant he was actually listening to what he was saying instead of dismissing him. When Barnes leaned forward, Peter let him speak. 

“What are you talking about? There’s - there’s a policy, there’s procedures! They wouldn’t just, I don’t know, kick someone out like that, it’s not right!” The man sounded truly incensed, and as he spoke, Peter pulled his phone out, glancing away from the man’s face. 

Barnes stopped talking when Peter looked away from him, and when Peter looked up again after a quick google search, Barnes’ face was stony. “I’m assuming that’s related and you’re not just answering a text message?” Peter nodded and handed him the phone, where he’d brought up a news article. 

Barnes took the phone and started reading, his eyes widening as he skimmed. Peter leaned back in his chair, waiting for the man to finish and feeling like he was missing something while the other man held his phone. For lack of something to do with his hands, Peter drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair, enjoying the ability to stare at Barnes openly, his eyes cataloguing the man’s striking jawbones and scruff that looked like it would leave  _ delicious _ beard burn. 

When he was finished, his professor handed back the phone, his eyebrows furrowed tightly. He looked up and met Peter’s eyes, pursing his lips. When he spoke, his voice was quieter. “Are you sure that’s accurate?” 

Peter had to grin at that, and he could tell his reaction surprised the other man. “You didn’t bother reading the byline, did you?” Barnes shook his head and Peter turned the phone around again to show him briefly. When Barnes leaned back in his chair again, he was still looking at Peter, this time more critically. 

“Why didn’t I know that you wrote for the school paper?” 

Peter shrugged, not meeting the man’s eyes. “It didn’t come up. Plus, I don’t really have time to write articles for them that often, since they can only pay ten bucks a pop and I have my other two jobs during the week when I’m not in class. But back in freshman year I had more time, so yeah, I got to write more for them. It was pretty cool, even when I was interviewing kids that were kicked out of school.” He frowned as he spoke, and when he looked up he saw that Barnes’ face was less pinched than it had been, and there was something softer in his eyes. 

“Two jobs?” At Barnes’ pointed question, Peter scowled, looking away again and wishing he hadn’t said anything. “Peter, you could have mentioned that, you know. If you’re struggling with classwork, or with anything else, I am able to make exceptions or extend deadlines, but I have to  _ know _ .” His voice was softer, like how you’d talk to a wounded animal, and Peter just scowled harder, turning his back on the man in a glare. 

“I’m good, professor. Really. I’ve got it figured out – if I work while I’m in school, plus my scholarship, plus the federal student loans, and if I take six classes every semester, then I’m able to graduate in three and a half years and I don’t have to ask my aunt to pay for any of my classes.” He jutted his chin out, mulishly. “I don’t need any special treatment. I’ve been managing just fine on my own.” When he looked back up to Barnes, the man wasn’t giving him the piteous look that he got from people when they figured out how much he had going on. Instead, Barnes looked awed, his mouth open with genuine shock at Peter’s little speech. He realized he was just sitting there staring and closed his mouth with an audible noise, looking away from Peter’s gaze and – was he blushing? 

Peter leaned forward, trying to see if the man was really blushing or not, and Barnes shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Well, that’s - that makes sense, Peter, and I’m sorry that I gave you a hard time without the whole story.” Peter’s brain, always looking to torment him, decided to take that moment to present him with some graphic images of how he wanted Barnes to give him a  _ hard time _ . He shifted in his chair, hoping that the stirring in his jeans wouldn’t be visible. Barnes continued. “I wasn’t really going to report you for plagiarism, I just – thought you were being lazy when I know you could do better than this.” 

He dropped one hand on the essay still between them, and Peter looked down to it, sighing. “I know, and I actually can do better than that. I shouldn’t have been lazy with it, I just – I had three other tests that week, and between studying and work I hadn’t gotten that much sleep so I half-assed it.” He reached for the paper, tugging it out from under Barnes’ hand. “If you let me redo it, maybe with a ten percent deduction for the delay, I can fix it.” 

When he looked up to his professor, the man was frowning at him and looking between him and the paper in his hands. Barnes tugged it back from him and pulled a pen from one of the cups on his desk. He crossed out the letter grade at the top and scribbled a B+ on the paper before handing it back to Peter. He met Peter’s eyes as he handed it back. “I did say that any other student would have gotten a B, and it’s only fair that you’re graded equally.” He shrugged, his eyes darting over Peter, assessing. “If you want to rewrite it, I’d like to read what you have to say; you’d probably end up at an A, but don’t feel like you have to if you don’t have the time.” 

Peter, instead of being thrilled, looked down at his paper with another frown. He didn’t say anything, though, and leaned over to put the paper into his bag before standing to look at his professor. Barnes stood as well, pushing himself up from behind the desk and nodding to Peter. “I can walk you out.” 

He walked around the desk to get the door for Peter and brushed against him. Peter got a good breath of the man’s scent and he instinctually inhaled, breathing in the heady smell. The man smelled incredible, and as he moved, Peter got a good look as his muscular arms pushed against the fabric of his shirt. Peter finished gathering his things and swung his backpack over one shoulder, following the man to the door of his office. When Professor Barnes put a hand on the knob to pull it open, Peter cleared his throat, and Barnes turned around to face him instead. 

Peter hadn’t been expecting the man to do that and he stood closer behind him than he’d realized, so when Barnes turned it put them nearly face to face, their noses inches apart from each other. Peter became hyper aware of the closeness, but even as he looked up to the other man, he couldn’t make himself step back. Barnes seemed equally surprised at the lack of distance between them and his eyes flicked to Peter’s lips and then back to his eyes. Peter realized he’d been about to say something but it took him long moments to remember what it was. 

At last he found his voice, and he bit his lip before speaking. “I, uh, I was just going to say that you – I know that it’s not, but, just, I don’t need special treatment, alright? I know I’m doing a lot right now but it’s all stuff I took on myself, and you don’t have to - to feel sorry for me, or whatever.” He chewed on his lip, unsure how the other man would take the stubborn insistence on being treated like everyone else, and completely missed how Barnes’ eyes followed the motion. 

Barnes licked his lips. “I’m not – you said it yourself, I’m just giving you the grade you deserved. I’m not going to give you special treatment, but I’m also not going to hold you to a higher standard based on what I  _ think _ you should be able to do or not.” 

Peter nodded at him, feeling slightly mollified. “Alright, then, thanks I guess. For changing it. And for listening to me. I know that not everyone – well, I appreciate it.” Peter, intent on leaving as soon as possible after the awkward interaction, leaned forward to grab the door handle, which Barnes seemed to have forgotten all about while they talked. The motion put him even more intimately in the other man’s space, and Peter wasn’t sure how it happened, but all of a sudden they were kissing. 

He only had time enough to register that there were lips pressed against his own before Barnes was drawing back, a look of pure horror on his face. Peter didn’t let him get far and fisted a hand into the other man’s hair, dragging them together again. Barnes didn’t resist the motion, meeting Peter’s lips with a soft sigh, and when Peter kissed him for real, he responded with equal intensity. 

Peter let the backpack drop from his shoulder as Barnes turned them, pushing him back so that Peter was pressed against the door. Barnes’ hands came up to Peter’s shoulders, holding him there, and Peter didn’t even try to move. His own hands wrapped around the man’s neck, holding him close. 

Barnes broke the kiss but didn’t leap back, instead staying close to Peter, their foreheads pressed together. “We should - we  _ shouldn’t _ be doing this, for - for so many reasons.” Peter shook his head in agreement. 

“No, but, I mean – fuck, please can we do this? You already changed my grade, it’s not - it’s not for that, it’s just because we –  _ I _ want to, at least.” Barnes groaned at that and kissed him again, demanding as he took control of the kiss easily, wedging a thigh in between both of Peter’s. Peter grunted as he felt the man’s thigh pressing against his dick, fighting the urge to rub up against him like a horny thirteen year old. As they shifted against each other, though, Peter could feel that the other man was just as hard, which was gratifying, and he moved so they could rub against each other more easily. 

When Barnes pulled back a second time, Peter nearly whined, trying to follow his lips even as the man drew his head back further. “No, Peter, this is – we really shouldn’t, I’m your professor, it's not – I’m still in charge of your grades, and it would–” He broke off as Peter leaned forward and, unable to reach his mouth, started sucking kisses against the man’s jaw. “Oh fuck, that’s - that’s not fair, you’re – we still shouldn’t be–” 

Peter groaned and bucked against him, rubbing their erections together again. Barnes made an almost wounded sound and rubbed against him eagerly. When Peter spoke again, his voice was rougher and his lips scraped against Barnes’ ear. “You’re not all that in charge of my grades; we’ve only got the final left, really, can’t you just have a TA grade mine or something?” He bit at the skin in front of him, intent on leaving a mark, even though he knew it wasn’t the wisest idea. 

Barnes let his head roll to the side as Peter worked, giving him more access. His eyes were closed, and Peter bit down harder, hard enough to actually hurt. Barnes’ eyes flew open and he growled at Peter, pressing him harder into the door. “Fine,  _ fine, _ you little brat, I’ll get one of the department TAs to do it and it’ll be suspicious as fuck but they’d do it for me as a favor.” He leaned in and nibbled on Peter’s ear, his breath hot and heavy as his hands found Peter’s wrists and pressed them into the door above his head. Peter whimpered again and recaptured the man’s lips, kissing him like he was dying. 

When they broke apart once more, Barnes pulled back more firmly, using the leverage he had to keep Peter from trying to kiss him again. His eyes scanned Peter’s face, looking for something that Peter wasn’t sure of. Peter looked back at him, holding his eyes as he panted for breath. Barnes finally spoke after a moment of looking Peter’s face over. “You’re really sure? You can’t – it’s still against all the rules but getting one of the TAs to grade your final, that’s - that’s just so  _ I  _ can live with this. You know that, right?” Peter nodded. Barnes continued. “Okay, just – I don’t want you realizing, uh, after, that this was a mistake.” 

Peter was struck with a flash of realization as he understood what Barnes was avoiding saying directly. He looked up at the man and smirked, cocking his head. “Oh, you mean, I could get  _ you _ kicked out of the university?” Turnabout's fair play, and Peter found the worried expression on the other man’s face gratifying. 

Barnes tried to pull away, and Peter held tight to him, not letting him get far. When he got a glare for his efforts, he smirked again. “Oh, don’t get all riled up, I wouldn’t do that. You had to sit through, like, fifteen minutes of me ranting about how over-prosecuted plagiarism is and how the administration will take an accusation as tantamount to confirmation – you really think I would do that?” 

Barnes rolled his eyes and tried to pull away once more, but Peter held firm. He used the grip he had on the man’s hair to turn his head so he was looking Peter in the eyes, and leaned in close, imploring the man to believe him. “I’m not going to go crying to the administration, I promise.” He pressed his forehead against the other man’s. “C’mon, I want this, and I know if I complain I’m not getting it again. That alone is worth not complaining.” 

He finished off with a cheeky smirk and Barnes finally relented, giving him a small smile in return. Peter closed the gap between them, kissing Barnes and enjoying when the man used his position to push Peter back against the wall, crowding closer to him again. 

The next time they broke apart, they were both panting, and Peter let his head fall back against the door. As Barnes moved to bite lightly down the column of his throat, Peter tried to regain some of his composure and failed miserably. 

“P-Professor, please, can we – I need you to–” Peter’s voice was shaky and Barnes growled against Peter’s throat where his teeth worried the skin there. 

“James. My first name is James, if we’re going to –  _ ah _ – do this, you might as well call me that.” Barnes’ voice was rough and Peter grinned, tightening his grip on the man’s hair and receiving a groan in response. 

“James, then. Although, I do have to say, I kind of like the idea of calling you ‘Professor’– it makes it feel elicit.” 

James laughed, burying his face in Peter’s neck to stifle the sound. “Peter, this already  _ is _ elicit; we  _ absolutely  _ should not be doing this at all. And fuck, if that doesn’t make it better. I’m going to hell, but damn if it’s not going to be worth it.” 

Peter ran his hands down James’ back, enjoying the feeling of the smooth muscular lines under his shirt. James bucked into the touch, rutting his hips forward and shifting them against Peter’s own. In a flash, Peter pushed his hands between James’ shirt and pants, untucking it so he could slip his hands under the thin fabric of the shirt, drawing back up the man’s back. 

As he did that, James pushed forward, his own hands running under Peter’s t-shirt and pushing it up his chest. The older man drew back for a moment in order to shove the shirt over Peter’s head, and Peter lifted his hands obediently, letting himself be stripped. When the shirt was gone, James took a moment to look hungrily down Peter’s chest before he stooped to press his mouth against one pert nipple, biting gently. Peter gasped and his hands found James’ hair again, tangling tightly. 

Peter wasn’t sure whether he wanted to pull the man closer or push him away, so he just held his hands tight against James’ scalp, tugging his hair, but not trying to move the man’s head one way or the other. James took it as encouragement and moved to give Peter’s other nipple the same treatment, licking and then biting him roughly. 

When he was finished, James kissed his way back up Peter’s neck, leaving a trail of red marks as he sucked the skin. Peter knew he should probably say something about leaving bruises, but he liked the idea all too much to stop the man, even if it meant he’d be stealing one of his friends’ bottles of concealer later. James met his lips again with a practiced ease, and Peter once more lost all thoughts except responding to the body pressed against his own. 

They kissed for long minutes, languid now, and eventually Peter broke the kiss, gasping for air. When he did, James moved back down his throat, seemingly content to stay like that for who knows how long, but Peter felt a building need that he couldn’t ignore. When he pushed at James’ shoulders, the man grunted but moved back, letting Peter up. Peter was still panting, but he shoved at James until they both stood in the center of the room. 

James seemed to finally understand what Peter meant, and as Peter moved, his eyes followed Peter’s body hungrily. When Peter turned towards the desk, James did the same, his hands coming to rest on Peter’s hips as he walked. Upon reaching the high desk, Peter hesitated, but James didn’t, using one hand, palm flat on Peter’s back, to push Peter down so he was bent at the hips over the desk, pushing the few things that had been there out of the way. 

Peter sucked in a breath, trying to focus and wildly unable to pay attention to anything but the man’s hands on his body. As he wriggled against the man’s grip, he felt James bend over him, chest to Peter’s back as he whispered in Peter’s ear. “Is this what you wanted?” 

The question was half teasing, half serious, and Peter groaned, nodding and tilting his hips back so he could rub his ass against James’ erection more firmly. “ _ Yes _ . _ Please. _ ” James hummed approval in Peter’s ear and drew back, hands settling on Peter’s hips once more. Peter turned his head, wanting to see the other man, and frowned when he realized that James was still fully dressed, aside from his shirt being untucked, while Peter was shirtless and probably about to be pants-less. 

“Can you–” Peter’s voice was rough, and he cleared his throat before trying again. “Can you, uh–” James looked down and made eye contact with him, his expression changing from the lazer focus on where his hands roamed over Peter’s hips to something softer as he met Peter’s eyes. 

“Hmm?” James leaned close again, bracing one hand on the desk next to Peter’s face. “What is it? Too much?” There was an undercurrent of worry in his tone, and Peter shook his head hard, meeting the man’s eyes. 

“No! Please, no, don’t stop, I just – I was hoping to see more of you, since, well,” Peter shrugged and then grinned. “I mean, I’ve been thinking about what you look like under those stuffy shirts since the beginning of the semester.” 

James groaned and leaned back, his hands flying to his collar as he started unbuttoning his shirt. “Fuck, you can’t - you can’t just  _ say _ thinks like that, Peter, I’m not - I’m not going to last very long if you do.” Peter chuckled, turning himself further to watch the man’s hands make quick work of his buttons. He shucked the shirt, leaving himself in nothing but an undershirt, which he pulled off as well. 

Peter was pretty sure his mouth was watering, and his hands itched to  _ touch _ . James seemed to have the same interest in being able to give and take, and he backed away from where he had Peter pinned to the desk, reaching for Peter’s hips and pulling him up before turning him around. Peter took the cue and leaned back against the desk before hopping up so he was seated on it, his legs coming up to wrap around James’ waist as the man pressed closer to him once more. 

James kissed him again and Peter kissed back with equal force, letting James lick into his mouth as his hands fluttered along Peter’s sides. Peter wished he had about ten more hands of his own as he tried to map out James’ body by touch, his fingers running over the planes of muscles that were now exposed. 

As Peter pressed his palms against the man’s front, he nearly whimpered. James had honest to god  _ abs _ and fuck, it wasn’t fair that he was that hot. As he touched, James seemed to get more impatient, and his hands came down to cup Peter’s ass, tugging him closer and grinding their erections together. The new leverage meant he could press Peter back so he lay face up on the desk, his legs still wrapped around James’ hips. 

Peter knew what he wanted, and as he clenched his thighs, pulling James closer still, he met the man’s eyes. “Do you have, uh, lube?” James nodded in response, biting his lip as he held Peter’s eyes. 

“Yeah, I’ve got, uh, somewhere.” He leaned in closer and Peter blinked, confused, before he heard a thump from somewhere above his head and realized James was digging through one of the desk drawers on the other side. The realization that James had  _ lube _ somewhere in his desk drawer startled a laugh out of Peter and, still smiling, he leaned forward to lick a stripe across one of James’ nipples while the man searched. 

The unexpected sensation caused James to jump, and Peter repeated the motion just to see him jump again. When James pulled back, a small bottle of something in hand, he was glaring at Peter. “You – I almost dropped the fucking thing!” His anger was mostly fake, though, and Peter just laughed at the other man’s misfortune, tugging him down by the hair for another kiss. 

“Yeah, well, you can spank me for it later.” James’ eyes widened at the casual promise, and Peter felt a coil of molten warmth settle in his stomach at the expression. “I’m glad you didn’t though.” A thought occurred to Peter and he stilled, looking up at James with wide eyes. “Why do you have that, anyway? How many students do you sleep with?” 

James just blinked at him at the change of subject, drawing back to look at Peter squarely. “I - I don’t, you’re the only student I’ve even thought of, uh, like that, the rest are – kind of, well, children.” He looked sheepish now, and tried to detangle Peter’s legs from around his hips. Peter didn’t let him go, holding tight with his legs to keep James right where he wanted him. 

When James frowned at him, Peter propped himself up on his elbows, holding his gaze. “I’m not saying I thought you did, I just needed to check. I didn’t want to be, I don’t know, another notch on a bedpost?” James shook his head at that and leaned in, cupping one hand around Peter’s face. 

“You’re not, Peter, you’re – I don’t know but I’m willing to throw my professional ethics to the winds for you, which is an honestly terrifying revelation.” His voice was rough, and Peter nodded at him in acknowledgement. James continued. “I’m – I’d rather this not be, uh, a one-time thing, either.” He cocked his head. “If you’d be interested in more.” Peter grinned at him and nodded, reaching for James and pulling him back down so he could kiss him. It wasn’t a sweet kiss, and Peter nipped at his lips, biting roughly. 

When they broke apart, James looked dazed, and Peter smiled at him. “Yes, more is good, but right now, let’s stop stalling. I need you to fuck me. Now.” James’ eyes sharpened at that and he nodded, his hands coming back to rest on Peter’s hips. 

Peter and James both reached for Peter’s fly at the same time, and James batted Peter’s hands away when they brushed against each other. He undid Peter’s pants quickly, reaching inside with a warm hand to pull out Peters’ erection, running fingers down his length slowly. Peter threw his head back at the sensation and bucked into James’ hand with a whine. James grinned at him and took a step back in order to tug Peter’s jeans off altogether, throwing them to the side and rewrapping Peter’s legs around his own hips with one fluid motion. 

Peter reached for James’ pants then, trying to undo his fly despite the awkward angle, and James’ fingers took over for him before he could get frustrated, pulling the man’s erection free easily. Peter wrapped a hand around it and groaned as he felt the weight in his hand, how his fingers barely wrapped around the shaft. 

“Fuck, that’s – c’mon, fuck me, fuck me–” Peter’s voice was high and needy and James shushed him with a kiss, leaning in so he could rub against Peter’s ass at the same time. Peter groaned and bucked into the sensation, and when James pressed slippery fingers against him, he clenched his legs tighter around the other man, muffling his noises in James’ neck. 

James worked one finger inside of him easily and Peter, face pressed against James’ neck, gasped at the sensation, groaning again when James hit his prostate unerringly. He pushed his hips back against the man’s hand with the limited leverage he had, trying to get more. James added a second finger and started working Peter open in earnest, spurred on by Peter’s muffled pleas. 

When Peter was loose enough for him to add a third finger, James did so. Peter, feeling stretched wide but not nearly enough, freed one hand and slipped it between their bodies, gripping his own erection and pumping himself while James fingered him. At James’ gasp of  _ want, _ Peter looked up to see that the man was watching his hand move over his erection, eyes following the motion hungrily. 

“C’mon, I’m ready, I need to feel you, James.” His voice was rough and as he spoke James looked back to his face, meeting Peter’s eyes. He got a nod and then James was pulling his fingers out of Peter. Peter would have complained about the loss but then he felt something else pressing against his hole and he gasped instead, James’ slick, slippery head pressing into him with almost no resistance. 

James pushed forward, pressing into Peter slowly. Once he was fully seated, he stopped, giving Peter time to adjust. Peter dug the fingers of his free hand into James’ bicep, trying to relax into the stretch and taking big gulping breaths. He didn’t stop touching himself, pumping his cock methodically even as James panted into his neck, his hands wrapped around Peter’s hips as he held himself still. 

While he was waiting, James pressed his face more firmly into Peter’s neck, worrying the skin there, and then kissed his way up to nibble on Peter’s ear, catching the cartilage between his teeth. Peter arched up against him at the feeling, gripping him tighter. 

“Fuck, god, move, please – need to feel you.” Peter’s words were breathless and as James pulled out of him, he whined, his heels kicking into the small of James’ back. James fucked back into him, slamming home and driving Peter slightly forward on the desk, and Peter made a noise he didn’t know he was capable of, loud and needy. 

One of James’ hands released Peter’s hips and landed over Peter’s mouth, holding him tight. Peter looked up to see the other man’s eyes were wild with need, but he was frowning. “Peter, this is – you can’t, uh, we can’t be loud.” Peter blinked at him and then nodded, James’ hand moving with him as he did. James pulled his hand back at Peter’s agreement, and Peter shook his hand at the loss. 

“I’m – you should leave your hand there, I’m not going to be able to, uh, keep quiet, probably.” Peter bit his lip, feeling even more of a flush coming to his cheeks at the admission. James gave him a small smile before covering Peter’s mouth again, making sure to leave his nose uncovered so he could breathe freely. Peter nodded again, feeling the man’s warm palm pressed firmly against his skin. 

“If you’re – if you need to stop, or want me to slow down, just, uh, tap, or, uh, pull my hand away, alright?” James’ voice carried a note of worry and Peter rolled his eyes at the other man, using his legs to push into the small of James’ back once more, urging him forward. 

James didn’t take much more convincing, and almost immediately started up a good rhythm, fucking in and out of Peter. He managed to drag his dick against Peter’s prostate with more thrusts than not, and soon Peter was writhing below him, one hand joining his legs as he urged the man faster, deeper, and the other still stroking himself. 

Reaching between them, James swatted Peter’s hand away from his erection and gripped him firmly instead, pumping Peter in time with his thrusts. Peter’s eyes rolled back in his head at the sensations, and he felt his orgasm building quickly. He grunted through the hand still over his mouth and when he managed to drag his eyes open, he found James looking down at him questioningly. 

“You alright?” 

Peter nodded vehemently, and when James pulled his hand back, Peter gasped in. “Gonna - gonna come, soon–” 

James, upon hearing that, replaced his hand over Peter’s mouth, silencing him, and Peter felt something flutter inside of himself at the man’s easy control of his body. James sped up slightly, tightening his grip around Peter’s dick and Peter gasped in through his nose, his vision whiting out as he came hard, thick ropes of cum landing on both of their chests. 

As he came, Peter became aware that James was also coming, thrusting into him irregularly, the hand still on Peter’s hips digging in painfully. James’ head dropped forward, his forehead pressing against Peter’s chest as he bucked into him once, twice, and Peter felt a rush of warm wetness inside himself. 

Both of them stayed like that for long moments, panting. As Peter slowly came back to himself and caught his breath, he took stock of what had happened, realizing that he’d really just done that. As James pushed himself up, propping himself with one hand on the desk so he could look Peter in the eyes, Peter saw a reflection of the same realization. 

Neither of them spoke right away, instead just holding each other’s gaze as they came to terms with the situation. Eventually, though, Peter’s legs started to protest the position, and he shifted, trying to get more comfortable – or at least, as comfortable as he could while lying naked on a hardwood desk. At Peter’s movements, James’ eyes widened and he shifted as well, leaning away from Peter and looking down at their still joined bodies. He rolled his hips, slowly pulling out of Peter, and Peter fought the urge to whimper at the loss. 

James’ hands came up to grip Peter’s thighs, helping him lower his legs to the ground wordlessly, and Peter was thankful for that, since his legs were shaking so hard from the strain that without the help he probably wouldn’t have been able to do anything but let gravity take over. 

“So that was, uh.” James’ voice was shaky and as Peter looked up at him, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back and avoiding Peter’s gaze. 

“Yeah.” 

Neither of them said anything more for another minute, but eventually Peter got tired of the awkwardness. 

“Hey, look. That was – well, honestly it was some really fucking good sex. If you’re – I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I’ll – I can, I won’t tell the administration, uh, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Peter bit his lip and shifted again, propping himself up on his elbows and wincing as he felt his body protest the abuse he’d put it through. James finally met his eyes, brow furrowed as he took in Peter’s grimace of pain. 

“I’m not – I’m glad for that, I guess.” His hands made an aborted move towards Peter, like he wanted to touch him but wasn’t sure he could. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” 

Peter shook his head, pushing himself the rest of the way up so he was standing, leaning back against the desk and still naked. “No, not – you didn’t hurt me. At least, not in any way that I wasn’t completely in favor of.” He looked down at himself, seeing bruises that James had sucked into the skin of his chest already darkening. James looked at them as well, wincing as Peter brought a hand up to circle one that was particularly dark. 

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t – I shouldn’t have–” At James’ stammered apology, Peter rolled his eyes and stood properly, stepping forward towards the other man. James tried to step away, but Peter didn’t let him, instead grabbing his wrist and pulling the man closer. He looked into James’ eyes intently, holding the man’s gaze as James squirmed and tried to look away. 

“I enjoyed it, and I’m hoping you did as well.” Peter’s voice was quiet but firm, and he tugged on James’ wrist to pull him closer. “I’m – I was serious. About doing this again... if you want. I know I’m a student, but you have to admit that felt... well, it felt  _ right _ .” James nodded at him, and when Peter leaned in to kiss him, softly this time, he didn’t pull away, instead melting into the kiss. 

Peter kept the kiss light, a soft expression of fondness instead of the passion that imbued the previous kisses. James responded by reaching up and working his hands into Peter’s hair, holding him close and kissing back with equal feeling, a quiet exaltation. When they finally separated again, Peter gave him a small smile and pecked James on the cheek before pulling back. 

“I should, uh, probably get going though. I’ve got work soon, and I can’t be late.” Peter broke eye contact in order to look for his clothes, which had been thrown in every direction. As he bent to pick up his shirt, he became aware of the drying cum still covering his chest and wrinkled his nose, straightening with shirt still in hand. “Uh, do you have tissues or something?” Peter gestured at his chest, where the streaks of his cum were visible. “My skin is going to be so unhappy with me.” 

James laughed at that, a light sound, and nodded, turning to rummage around in his desk before tossing Peter a small travel-size packet of tissues. “Here.” Peter accepted it and started cleaning himself up to the best of his ability. As he worked, a thought occurred to him and he looked up at James curiously. 

“Why, uh, why did you have lube in your desk anyway? I don’t think you actually said why it was there.” Whatever he was expecting, it wasn’t for James to flush and look at his feet, and Peter raised an eyebrow at the man’s expression. 

James cleared his throat and bent to pick up his own pants before he answered, still not looking Peter in the eyes. “I, uh, well. You’d been coming to office hours to continue the debates we had in class, and, well, yeah.” His eyes flickered to Peter’s briefly before moving away again. “You’re a good debater, and seeing you passionate about something affected me pretty strongly.” 

Peter grinned at him wickedly, setting down the tissues he was cleaning up with in favor of stepping closer to James once more, crowding into his personal space. “Oh, really now?” James nodded. “Well, then,  _ professor _ , I might have to start coming to more office hours, just to make sure that you’re not here alone touching yourself and thinking of me.” James gulped, meeting his eyes with something like wonder in his expression. 

“Peter, I don’t – that might not be such a good idea.” Despite his words, Peter saw the man’s pupils dilating and heard his breathing coming faster. He pressed one hand against James’ chest, running a nail over his nipple and watching the man’s sharp intake of breath. “I know you said you’re not against continuing this, but I don’t think that it would be the smartest idea, really.” 

Peter didn’t let the man’s shaky words deter him, and he leaned in to nip at James’ throat. “If you’re saying that because you’re worried about your job, you can forget it. I’m not telling on you, so don’t you start thinking like that.” He pulled back to look James in the eyes. “If you don’t want to, just tell me and I’ll leave. I’m not going to force you or anything. But I think you’re just as interested in continuing this as I am, and I’m not going to let some stupid school rules get in the way of something this good.” 

James inhaled as Peter spoke, his eyes closed as he listened to Peter’s plea. When he opened them, Peter was looking back at him expectantly. He nodded, holding Peter’s gaze. “Okay. Fine. You’re right, and I do want this. Want you.” He paused before continuing. “But we have to be  _ careful, _ Peter, and not put either of us at unnecessary risk.” Peter nodded at him easily. “But yes. Despite everything else, I do want you, and I want this.”

Peter grinned at the other man’s admission, and leaned in to kiss him once more. This was less chaste than the last kiss, and as he felt his cock stirring again already, he pulled away from James’ mouth. 

“Not that I’m not incredibly interested in round two, but I do actually have work soon.” James nodded at Peter’s words and stepped back, letting Peter reach for the tissues to finish cleaning himself up. 

Once Peter was clean and he’d tugged on his clothes (only looking somewhat rumpled, to his relief), he stepped closer to James once more as the man finished doing up his own pants and pulling on his undershirt. The undershirt only served to highlight his incredible arms, and Peter ran his hands over James’ forearms, fingers tracing over the veins there. 

“I’m going to go now.” Peter’s words were quiet, and James nodded at him. “But don’t think this is me running away, and don’t think that I’ll let you get so in your own head that you’re second guessing everything by tomorrow. This is – it’s something  _ real, _ and I’m not letting us be stupid just because some dumb rules say we’re not allowed to have what we want.” 

James nodded and when Peter leaned forward to kiss him, he accepted the gesture easily, hands coming around Peter’s chest to pull him closer, pressing their chests together. 

When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily, and Peter blinked, trying to clear his head. He stooped to pick up his bag from where he’d dropped it on the ground, and after making sure he had everything he walked to the door to the office, stopping with one hand on the doorknob to look back at James. 

“We’ll figure it out, yeah?” Peter’s voice was steadier than he hoped for, and he was galvanized to see James give him a real smile, looking for all the world like he believed Peter. “I’ll see you in class, professor, and I’ll probably be back to complain about my grade soon.” Peter shot James a wink, and before the other man could say anything else, he pulled the door open and slipped out into the hallway. 


End file.
